I used to update every single time a new update came out for my 1197,
but here's the way I look at updates now.
It's possible that something that works now on your machine may not work
properly after you do the update.
I would first search for any problems with the newest update for your machine.
Since you don't have to update, you can take your time and do some
thorough research. There may be some new features that you would
really like to have.
Also, think about this.
Updates only add or modify the software.
They usually come with more features, but the downside is
that there is now more code running on your machine.
The hardware/cpu/memory stays the same on your machine, so in my opinion,
unless HB has changed the programming language to something
more efficient, each update will slow down your machine to a certain
extent, until eventually the added features of the update
are just not worth it.
I myself have gone back to a much older update, and my machine is
working great, and is very responsive.
Good Luck.